NFL free agency: 4 veterans for the Seahawks to consider for their open roster spot

Seattle has a couple minor depth needs on defense, and a couple of gaping holes on offense to address before the season begins.

Jan 5, 2020; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (90) reacts after defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in a NFC Wild Card playoff football game at Lincoln Financial Field. / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

On Friday the Seattle Seahawks released undrafted tight end Mitch Van Vooren, who had only signed with the team a few days prior. No corresponding move was made, which means Seattle has an open roster spot where a coveted free agent might fit.

The biggest new name on the market belongs to Jaire Alexander, who the Green Bay Packers just released after apparently finding no interested trade partners. Alexander would fill one of Seattle's theoretical minor roster holes on defense - cornerback depth and inside linebacker depth being the only potential liabilities on paper right now for that unit.

Alexander would give the Seahawks an amazing cornerback room. He is going to be expensive to sign, though and it would go against type for the front office to spend big at this point in the offseason. Most likely they're saving their cap space ($31.2 million+) and their newly-open roster spot for somebody else.

So, who's on the radar? Probably some other tight end that we've never heard of before, but if they're going to add a name here are a few worth considering.

OLB Jadeveon Clowney

Jadeveon Clowney was going to run it back with the Carolina Panthers this year, but they surprisingly released him a few weeks ago, pocketing under $8 million in cap space at the expense of their edge rush. While Clowney's numbers weren't great in 2024, that had a lot more to do with a lack of other pass rush threats than anything he was doing. Once DJ Wonnum joined their lineup in Week 10 Clowney came to life and was as disruptive as he usually is down the stretch. Bringing Clowney back would arguably give the Seahawks the best five-deep edge rotation in the league - starting with DeMarcus Lawrence at the top, then Uchenna Nwosu and Boye Mafe and Derick Hall. Where Clowney would fit in that picture is not immediately clear, but that's also a good problem to have.

TE Gerald Everett

If the Seahawks want to replace Van Vooren with another tight end, another potential reunion that might make sense is Gerald Everett. He played for Seattle in 2021 and posted a solid 48 catches, 478 yards and four touchdowns. Everett got lost in the shuffle last season with the Chicago Bears and only totaled eight catches for 36 yards. However, he wouldn't need to carry a heavy load and his 124 games of pro experience could be useful in a relatively young tight end room - which will be even younger if they release Noah Fant. Everett is also durable as hell, having only missed eight games in his eight-year career.

G Will Hernandez

While a new pass rushing weapon or a familiar face for Sam Darnold to throw at sounds fun in theory, the reality is the best value that the Seahawks are going to get with this spot is most likely by trying to upgrade their woeful interior offensive line rotation. At the moment, that room consists of first-round draft pick Grey Zabel, followed by a long string of question marks. The best guard under the age of 30 who's still on the market right now is Will Hernandez, who played the last three years with the Arizona Cardinals after spending four with the New York Giants. Hernandez has never made a Pro Bowl team but has performed consistently well in pass protection. He has extensive experience playing both guard spots, but he'd fit best at right guard - where he'd qualify as a huge upgrade over Seattle's current options.

G Shaq Mason

The No. 1 free agent guard right now is probably Brandon Scherff, but at 33 years old he can hardly be considered a long-term option. If they're looking to go the savvy veteran route, Shaq Mason might be a better choice for the Seahawks. Mason is modestly younger than Scherff at 31 years old but has the same amount of experience (147 starts), having come into the NFL in the same draft class. Lacking Scherff's career hardware (five Pro Bowls compared to zero), Mason should also come significantly cheaper.

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